


Some Kind of Wonderful

by magnusragnor



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: 2 sweet boys in the summertime that's p much it, Fluff, Lifeguard!Magnus, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-07
Updated: 2017-06-07
Packaged: 2018-11-09 11:10:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11103348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magnusragnor/pseuds/magnusragnor
Summary: “I’m a grown ass man who never learned to swim. I’d laugh at myself if it wasn’t so embarrassing,” Alec replied, shrugging.“You’re a grown ass man who never learned to swim and has sucked up his pride to try and do something about it. That’s admirable, nothing to be laughed at,” Magnus retorted, finally meeting Alec’s eyes and smiling warmly. “Shall we?” he asked, jerking his head towards the pool.(aka Magnus is a lifeguard at a local pool and Alec doesn't know how to swim)





	Some Kind of Wonderful

**Author's Note:**

> heLLoooo...it's me.....
> 
> SO this fic took 20000 years to write mostly b/c a cute ficlet idea turned into over 10k of Soft Boys in the Summer. 
> 
> this would absolutely not be possible w/o [charley](http://lightwoodlesbians.tumblr.com) who beta's and cheers for me even when i have 0 motivation. i love u <3
> 
> also!! there is a brief mention of drowning towards the beginning of the fic, just a heads up!! 
> 
> i hope you all enjoy!! <3 <3
> 
> “they in love 5ever” - charley, 2017
> 
> (title is from the song Some Kind of Wonderful by Betty Who which is my summer anthem tbqh)

There were so many places Alec would rather be than the goddamn community swimming pool.

Max, however, had been insistent, and his huge puppy dog eyes made it hard for Alec to say no, which was how Alec found himself parking his car right outside of Red Hook Public Pool in Brooklyn. Max was giddy in the seat next to him, a huge smile on his face as he looked at Alec, waiting for permission to open the car door and speed to the pool.

Alec turned off the car and grabbed his bag from the backseat.

“Alright, go. But you swim where I can see you, and you come back every hour to reapply your sunscreen. Am I clear?” Alec said to Max, trying his best to be stern.

Despite Alec being generally unhappy with where he was doomed to spend his summer, the joy Max was radiating was almost infectious. Alec grinned at his little brother, ruffling his hair before watching Max practically fall out of the car, running past the fence and to the pool. Checking that he had everything he needed, Alec made his way to the pool himself, pushing his sunglasses over his eyes.

Alec had a reason for being discontent with going to a community pool: he’d never learned to swim. Ever since he was a little kid, all Alec had ever known was baseball, from little league to being on his high school team to now. His parents truly believed he was going to make it big playing baseball, and while Alec loved the sport, he didn’t know if he wanted to spend the rest of his life playing it.

He’d done a good job hiding his lack of swimming skills so far. Every time he’d go to the beach, he wouldn’t go further than waist-deep, and in the rare times he found himself near a pool in a social situation, Alec just told everyone that he prefered to tan, and mostly people would leave him alone. Alec planned to keep his streak going, and if he never learned to swim, well then, so be it; it’s not like he was missing out on much, anyway.

Unlike Alec, Max was drawn to water. Even when he was a toddler, he had a habit of crying as he was taken out of the bath, begging for a chance to stay in the tub a little longer. When he was old enough to swim in the ocean, he’d been ecstatic. And now, with the opportunity to try out for his middle school swim team - well, let’s just say Alec hadn’t seen him this excited in his whole life.

Max was a talented swimmer, and even though Alec was sure that a _middle school_ would take his little brother on their team, Max had still begged his siblings to take him to the public pool so he could practice. Jace was studying abroad for the semester with his boyfriend an Izzy was taking summer classes to get her college degree early, so Alec was the only one who could supervise the youngest Lightwood.

Despite how ambivalent Alec was towards swimming, he had a good book to read and it would make Max happy, so he’d be okay.

The fence made a squeaking noise when Alec pushed it open, and as he entered he instantly noticed how crowded the pool was; that was what he got for deciding to come on a Sunday. People of all ages seemed to have gathered here to cool off from the New York City heat. Alec watched a few five year old girls in matching bathing suits run by him before he made his way to the shady area, spotting Max instantly.

“I only managed to get one,” Max said, hopping off of a chair he was hogging for Alec as his older brother approached, instantly taking off his shirt. “I’m gonna go see if I can find Madzie.”

“Okay, Max,” Alec replied, taking a seat in the chair and pushing his sunglasses on to the top of his hair. “Be safe!” he called out, shaking his head in fond amusement as Max took off running. He wasn’t going to let his parents’ perfectionism ruin Max’s love for swimming. He would keep his little brother happy and carefree as long as he could.

Alec got comfortable, opening his book to the bookmarked page. He scanned the it to find the section he had left off at before a loud whistle startled him.

He quickly glanced up, his eyes instantly landing on the back of a tall and muscular lifeguard. Alec’s eyes raked over the man’s body, book momentarily forgotten as Alec wondered how anyone in the world could have a body that looked like that. Strong, wide muscular shoulders framed the man, leading down to a narrow waist and, frankly, an incredible ass, despite the offensively red pants that bagged around it.

Alec had a hard time averting his gaze before he noticed the man turning. Not wanting to be caught staring, Alec quickly looked down at his book, pretending to be fascinated by the text on the page. After a moment, he looked up again, this time making eye contact with the very attractive stranger. The lifeguard winked at him, not giving Alec the opportunity to appreciate that his face was just as attractive as the rest of his body before he’d turned around again, watching the pool.

Time flew by fairly quickly, and Alec ended up getting some reading done, despite sneaking glances at the unfairly gorgeous lifeguard, who was sitting on his post. Alec unlocked his phone, noticing that an hour and a half had gone by and Max hadn’t returned to reapply sunscreen. Thinking about it now, Alec realized that between reading and checking out the lifeguard, he’d lost sight of his brother. Alec huffed, standing up and scanning the pool with his eyes.

No sign of Max. Of course.

Alec patted his pockets, making sure he had his valuables with him as he dropped his book onto his seat and began making his way around the pool, continuously looking around in case he spotted his little brother.

After circling the pool one time and still not seeing Max, Alec let himself panic a little. The area wasn’t that big, certainly not big enough to lose Max. Alec looked around frantically, scanning the area, calling out Max’s name twice before gulping down the ball of worry lodged in his throat.

Alec picked up his pace, bumping into a few people and muttering quick apologies as he went. As he turned around the corner of the pool, he jerked his head around quickly, turning in spot and calling out Max’s name again, panic flooding his body. His heart raced as he misstepped, not noticing how close to the pool he actually was and, fuck - he was suddenly falling ass first into the cool water.

The water flooded around him instantly, and Alec barely had time to catch his breath or panic. Alec felt his lungs tighten and all he could think was _fuck_ \- it couldn’t end like this, he couldn’t have Max find his floating dead body in a community pool.

He thrashed his limbs, trying to do anything to stop his body from sinking and to stop his mouth from swallowing up mouthfuls of pool water.

After a frantic second of Alec begging whatever higher being there was to let him survive this, he felt a pair of strong arms circle his waist and tug firmly upwards, and suddenly Alec felt the warm summer air around him. He tried to breathe, get in as many lungfuls as he could, but he was still practically choking on the chlorine. Alec let his hero tug him to the edge of the pool and practically manhandle him out, letting Alec collapse on the hot concrete.

Alec wheezed heavily, his hands shaking as he tried desperately to catch his breath. His clothes were soaked and his wet hair was stuck to his forehead. Alec leaned up on his elbows and looked up, still trying to process the fact that he hadn’t died, and was met with a pair of concerned brown eyes.

Alec blinked once, then twice, still breathing heavily when - oh.

Fuck.

The hot lifeguard.

The hot lifeguard who was leaning over Alec with worry etched onto his face, because he just saved Alec from drowning.

Shit.

Alec couldn’t imagine how he looked right now. Panting, with his dripping wet clothes, and his floppy hair. The man, though, was illuminated by the sun. His skin was feathered with water droplets, a canvas of smooth tan skin, and he was so gorgeous with his eyes and his lips and… fuck, Alec was staring.

He coughed a bit more, sitting up straighter as he noticed the crowd of concerned people surrounding him. Among the crowd, Max appeared, holding Alec’s sunglasses in his hand which he’d probably lost when he fell into the water. Alec felt relief wash over him at the sight of his little brother. Max crouched next to him, offering the sunglasses.

“Alec, I’m so sorry, are you okay? Madzie’s mom offered to buy us snowcones and I didn’t see the time and I’m so sorry,” Max rambled, looking like a deer in headlights. Alec took the sunglasses and pulled his brother in a tight hug, closing his eyes momentarily.

“Okay, show’s over. Everyone go about your daily lives,” Alec heard a voice say, and looked up, noticing the lifeguard shooing the crowd away. The lifeguard’s eyes met his and Alec held the gaze.

“Thank you,” Alec said, his voice hoarse from the amount of water he swallowed and from all the coughing. The lifeguard smiled softly at him, crouching down on the other side of Alec.

“How are you feeling?” he asked, his eyes looking Alec up and down. Alec was positive it was to see if he had any noticeable injuries, but he couldn’t help but feel warm under the other man’s gaze.

“I’m okay,” Alec replied, watching the other man nod.

“Be careful next time. You could have seriously injured yourself,” the lifeguard said, meeting Alec’s eyes and smiling at him.

Alec nodded, pushing his hair out of his eyes. He stood up, frowning at his wet clothes and taking the hand Max was offering. Alec tipped his head in gratitude towards the stupidly attractive lifeguard and walked back to his chair.

Max went back to the pool a few moments later after Alec made him promise to come back at 5pm so they could leave. In the meantime, Alec spent some time under the sun, getting his clothes as dry as possible. He also emptied out his pockets, making sure all of the contents there were dry, and mentally thanked his sister for pushing him to buy a waterproof phone.

An hour or two later, when the shame had subsided Alec’s clothes were mostly dry and he was finally reading, someone tapped him on the shoulder. Alec turned around and was surprised to see the handsome lifeguard, now wearing a white t-shirt, looking at him with a quirked eyebrow. In his hands he held two red snowcones.

The lifeguard gestured to the seat next to Alec and Alec nodded, watching the man sit down.

“I hope you like cherry,” the lifeguard said, handing one of the snowcones over to Alec. Alec took it gratefully, nodding and trying not to think anything of the way their fingers brushed.

“Thank you. For this, and for helping me earlier,” Alec said, glancing over to the lifeguard. “Aren’t you supposed to be guarding the pool or something?” Alec asked, wincing at how harsh the words came out.

“You’re welcome,” the lifeguard replied, laughing. “No, my shift actually just ended. Clary takes over for the night shift and then closes,” he said, pointing to a girl with bright red hair wearing a one piece red swimsuit. “My name’s Magnus, by the way.”

Alec glanced back over to the lifeguard - Magnus - and offered a lopsided grin. “Alec,” he replied, watching Magnus eat a bit of the snowcone with perfect grace, which was crazy really - who gracefully eats a snowcone?

“I’m guessing the younger boy you were with is your brother. I’ve never seen you around here before. Not a fan of swimming?” Magnus asked conversationally, quirking an eyebrow.

“Yeah, that’s Max,” Alec said, automatically scanning the pool at the mention of his brother, exhaling in relief when he spotted him in the water with Madzie. “He’s trying out for his middle school swim team and he’s nervous. So I told him I’d take him here so he had time to practice.” Alec met Magnus’ eyes, and before he realized, the words were stumbling out of his mouth. “I never learned how to swim.”

Which was - what the fuck? Alec had trouble admitting that to his siblings, despite the obvious fact that they knew. And here he was, smitten enough with the bright blue streaks in Magnus’ hair and his red stained lips enough to just share his secrets.

Magnus offered Alec a kind smile, chuckling to himself. “Due to fear?” he asked, not unkindly.

“No, I - no. Although I guess it turned into that.”

Magnus nodded in understanding, eating more of his snowcone.

“What if I teach you?”

Alec was taken aback for a moment, blinking dumbly. “What?”

“Let me teach you to swim. Free of charge, darling, I promise. Think of it as a friendly favor, if you’d like,” Magnus said, his hand fiddling with the edge of his swim shorts.

Alec turned back to look at the water, taking a bite of his snowcone timidly as he contemplated the idea. Getting over his fear of water and learning to finally swim wasn’t the worst idea in the world. And to be honest, Alec wouldn’t necessarily mind spending some extra time with Magnus, the gorgeous lifeguard with pretty brown eyes and dark green nail polish who had pulled him out of the water and saved his life. Not to mention Alec had a lot of free time this summer.

Alec nodded, chewing on the sweet cherry flavored ice. “Sounds fun,” he said, turning to look at Magnus again. “When?”

Magnus beamed at him. “I close at six on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. You could meet me then, so we could have the whole pool to ourselves.”

“Okay,” Alec responded, still looking at Magnus as he gathered up his courage. “I’m - I’m looking forward to it.”

“Me too,” Magnus said after a moment, meeting Alec’s eyes and taking another bite from his snowcone. A loud ringing interrupted the moment, and Magnus shuffled through his bag one-handed, taking out his cell-phone and glancing at it, his eyebrows furrowed. “I’m sorry, darling. I’m afraid my ride is here.”

Alec just nodded, watching Magnus pack his things and stand up, looking back at Alec. He looked genuinely crestfallen at having to cut their conversation so short, and Alec tried really hard not to find it adorable.

“I’ll see you on Tuesday at six, then?” Alec asked, leaning forward a little in his chair. Magnus nodded once.

“See you then,” Magnus said, walking backwards a few steps and winking - seriously, fucking _winking_ \- at Alec before turning around and jogging towards the fence, disappearing from view after he rounded a corner.

Alec stood up, tossing the remainder of his snowcone in the trash, trying to force the small smile off his face.

“What are you so smiley about?”

Alec turned around, noticing Max toweling himself off. Alec rolled his eyes, putting his hand on Max’s wet hair and ruffling it, laughing softly at the way Max pulled away, a grimace on his face.

“How about you shut up so we can go home?” Alec laughed, tossing Max’s change of clothes at him.

They packed their things and made their way over to the parking lot, Max jabbering away with questions about what Alec and the _interesting_ lifeguard had been talking about. Alec huffed and playfully shoved Max into the car before getting in the driver’s seat, turning on the radio when Max gave him a knowing smile.

“How about,” Alec said, “we stop for Luigi G’s ice cream on the way back home and you don’t tell Izzy about any of this?”

“I already had a snowcone earlier, but if you wanted to buy my silence with the new FIFA game, then I wouldn’t mind,” Max offered, grinning.

Alec muttered under his breath about devil siblings before shaking his head, admitting defeat and turning up the radio in attempt to drown out Max’s cheers of victory.

___________

By the time Tuesday rolled around, Alec was a bundle of nerves. He tried to brush it off as just anticipation at spending some time with a really attractive guy, but he knew deep down it was more than that.

Over the years he’d developed a strong animosity towards the water. He arrived a few minutes before six, watching people exit the pool area through his car window. He tapped his fingers against his leg nervously, chewing on the inside of his mouth.

Alec hadn’t told anyone about his plans for the evening - in fact, he’d outright lied to them. His family believed he was hanging out with his friend Lydia, which had the downside of giving his mother the false hope that he might magically turn straight and fall in love if he was to just spend enough time with Lydia. But his mother’s refusal to accept Alec for who he was was her problem.

He finally got out of the car and made his way to the familiar white fence, the sun warm on the back of his neck. He immediately spotted Magnus, who was typing something out on his phone, and Alec had almost forgotten how stupidly attractive Magnus was. Falling for the community lifeguard - who was also his new swimming teacher - was definitely a bad idea, though, so Alec forced his eyes up from Magnus’ chest as he approached and readjusted the strap of his bag on his shoulder.

“Hey.”

“Alexander!” Magnus said, head snapping up, his face shining with delight. “You’re right on time. Punctuality is a very attractive trait.”

“I didn’t want to make a bad impression,” Alec responded, brushing off the flirting with ease. He dropped his bag on one of the empty chairs near the lifeguard stand.

“Trust me, darling, you _definitely_ didn’t do that.” Magnus fiddled a little with the string of his annoyingly bright red swim trunks and watched as Alec huffed playfully, an amused and small smile on his lips. “Are you ready to start?”

Alec nodded, putting his thumbs on the collar of his shirt and sliding it off.

“Yeah, just don’t - you’re not allowed to laugh,” Alec said, tossing his shirt on the back of the chair and glancing at Magnus, who seemed just as distracted with Alec’s body as Alec had been the first time he saw Magnus. He let himself feel a little pleased and straightened his back, suddenly wanting to impress Magnus before he made a fool of himself in the water.

“Why on earth would I laugh?” Magnus asked, his voice a little distant, his eyes still zeroed in on Alec’s torso.

“I’m a grown ass man who never learned to swim. I’d laugh at myself if it wasn’t so embarrassing,” Alec replied, shrugging.

“You’re a grown ass man who never learned to swim and has sucked up his pride to try and do something about it. That’s admirable, nothing to be laughed at,” Magnus retorted, finally meeting Alec’s eyes and smiling warmly. “Shall we?” he asked, jerking his head towards the pool.

Alec took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself before nodding.

Magnus guided them both to the shallow end, sitting on the edge of the pool before plopping down in the water gracefully. He turned and looked expectantly at Alec, who hesitated.

“It’s only three feet deep, love,” Magnus said, tilting his head to the side with a playful little smile. Alec was still unconvinced, feeling his nerves bubble on his skin like goosebumps.

Magnus’ smile faded, but he still radiated warmth. Or maybe that was the sun - Alec found it a little hard to think straight around Magnus.

“I promise I won’t let anything happen to you, okay? Scout’s honor. Do you trust me?” Magnus asked, his voice sweet and kind as he reached out a hand, inviting Alec into the bright blue water.

Alec squared his shoulders and took Magnus’ hand. _Now or never_ , he thought, as he repeated Magnus’ actions, still gripping the lifeguard’s hand for dear life, and found himself in the pool merely waist deep.

“See, that wasn’t so bad,” Magnus said, squeezing Alec’s hand supportively. Alec looked at him, unimpressed, which made Magnus laugh. “Okay, the next step might seem a little silly, but all I need you to do is get used to being in the water. Don’t worry, we’re not going to the deep end just yet. For now, become familiar with holding your breath under the water.”

Together, they went through a few different breathing lessons. Magnus was a great teacher. He was patient whenever Alec hesitated, and didn’t even bat an eye when Alec had swallowed a mouthful of pool water and ended up having a coughing fit. Even so, Magnus was incredibly distracting.

Alec may or may not have pretended to need a little bit of extra help with some exercises, just so Magnus would stand a little closer. He had a gut feeling, though, that the lingering touches from Magnus meant that Magnus was just as interested as he was.

“Okay, I think you’re ready,” Magnus said, pushing his wet hair out of his face as they both came up from air from the last exercise.

“Ready?” Alec asked, shaking his head and sending water droplets everywhere, eliciting a laugh from Magnus.

“Time for the hard part. Well, it’s not really that hard, it just scares beginners the most,” Magnus moved his hand through the water, looking up at Alec through his eyelashes. Alec made a ‘go on’ gesture. “You, my dear, are gonna learn how to float.”

Alec’s playful smile fell from his face as the fear stirred in the bottom of his stomach again. He’d almost forgotten, distracted by Magnus’ playful laughs and reassuring smiles, that there was more to the pool than just shallow water.

“Um, okay. Yeah, okay, cool,” Alec muttered.

Magnus reached out towards him before hesitating, stopping just before his hand touched Alec’s arm.

“I’m right here. I won’t let go until you tell me you’re comfortable. If you panic and think you can’t stand up by yourself, don’t forget we’re only in three feet of water. Just push your legs down and stand up,” Magnus said, giving Alec an encouraging nod.

Alec blinked, studying Magnus’ face for a moment before nodding. Listening to Magnus’ instructions, he crouched down, feeling Magnus’ hands on his upper and lower back, grounding him. He held on to the touch like an anchor and felt Magnus push gently, guiding Alec’s body up as Alec used his legs to lightly push off the floor. He squeezed his eyes shut, shielding them from the sun and out of fear. His heart was racing, but he forced himself to focus on Magnus and his calm voice to his side, the feeling of his strong hands on his back.

“You’re doing wonderful, darling,” Magnus said softly next to him. Alec didn’t dare move. The water was all around him, shaping around his body. Alec’s body was warm from the summer heat, but his back felt cooler from the water. The contrast wasn’t something he had ever experienced before, and in that moment he felt weightless.

Focusing on every individual muscle, one by one, Alec took a few minutes to let every limb in his body relax fully. He didn’t feel like he was going to sink like a rock, so he finally willed himself to speak.

“You can let go now,” he said, ignoring the slight tremor in his voice.

“Alexander, I haven’t been holding on to you for the past minute,” Magnus replied.

Alec’s eyes snapped open, squinting from the harsh sun. Regardless, he could very clearly make out Magnus’ figure next to him when he tilted his head to the side, just a little, and noticed both of Magnus’ hands above the water.

Magnus was half a step away from him, giving Alec space but also close enough to catch Alec if something were to go wrong. Something bloomed in Alec’s chest, warm and bright and proud, and Alec let out a small laugh. Feeling safe enough in Magnus’ presence and more confident in his own abilities, Alec wiggled his arms and legs, his grin wide as he continued to float.

It felt like flying.

Alec pushed his legs down, stumbling a little from the unfamiliar motion before catching himself, turning to look at Magnus. Magnus beamed at him, a bright smile on his face and his hands on his hips.

“Congratulations, Alec. You just completed your first swimming lesson. You deserve a gold star and some ice cream.”

They ended up sitting on the side of the pool, facing each other, both with small cups of ice cream Magnus had fetched from the small freezer in the staff room.

The sun was setting over the horizon, giving the community pool a scenic glow. The sky was painted with different shades of orange and yellow, and both of them were silent for a moment, taking a minute to appreciate the sight.

Magnus dipped his foot in the pool water, swirling it around gently as he ate another bite of ice cream.

“You’re doing really well, you know,” Magnus said, licking a little chocolate off of the corner of his mouth. Alec cleared his throat and pretended he wasn’t staring, swirling his spoon in his own strawberry ice cream.

“You don’t have to say that just to make me feel better,” Alec said, meeting Magnus’ gaze.

“I’m not,” Magnus said, his voice painfully earnest. Alec looked down, furrowing his brows and poking at the ice cream with his spoon like it personally offended him.

“I learned to float, Magnus. That’s hardly something to be proud of.”

“ _Hey_ ,” Magnus said, reaching over to pry Alec’s hand away from the spoon gently, taking Alec’s hand in his.

Alec looked up at Magnus’ warm brown eyes. Magnus’ hair was mostly dry now, but still stuck out in different directions, making Magnus look a little youthful. Alec couldn’t remember the last time a person had left him so speechless.

“You overcame your fear, Alec. Or at least, you’re taking steps to overcome it. That’s something to be proud of. Trust me,” Magnus said, his voice sweet. “Don’t undermine your achievements just because people have convinced you that you’re too old to be learning something young kids learn. You do things on your own terms, in your own time.”

Alec studied his face, processing the information. He let out a soft chuckle, squeezing Magnus’ hand. Magnus let go, sitting up straight again and winking at Alec playfully. Alec looked over at the water, suddenly deep in thought.

“I came out when I was seventeen,” he confessed after a beat. “I don’t regret coming out when I did. I wasn’t ready before that, you know? My parents aren’t - I had a lot of stuff to work through, getting past all the ignorant and prejudiced ideas they raised me with. I still struggle with it now, sometimes, but…” he trailed off, throat a little thick. He wasn’t embarrassed, though, because he knew Magnus would understand. “When I came out, it felt...right.”

Magnus smiled at him.

“I came out when I was twelve,” Magnus said, chuckling softly to himself, “so I got the opposite treatment. Everyone told me I was too young to know that I’m bisexual. They said I wasn’t mature enough to really know what I wanted. All I knew was I thought my group partners Emily and Tyler were both really pretty.” Magnus shrugged. “I was lucky, though. I remember coming home one day, and my mother sat me down and told me that it didn’t matter who I loved, and if I wanted to love girls and boys, then screw everyone who said otherwise.”

Alec observed him quietly. Magnus returned to eating his ice cream, his foot still making little waves in the pool. He looked out onto the horizon, watching the last of the sunset.

Alec studied Magnus’ profile, his heart suddenly thumping loudly in his chest. He wondered, just for a moment, if Magnus’ lips would taste like chocolate.

___________

During the next two weeks, Alec actually started to enjoy the time he spent in the water. As it was summer break, they both had time to have two, sometimes even three, lessons a week, although as time progressed the frequency of lessons had less to do with Alec's desire to learn to swim and more with his desire to spend time around Magnus.

Over the course of the classes, he became closer friends with Magnus, too - honestly, he hadn’t bared his soul to anyone so freely before. While he was usually standoffish and quiet around people he didn’t know very well, Magnus brought out Alec’s playful, fun side, one he usually only let out around his siblings.

Magnus was quite magical, and the fact that Alec was enjoying his lessons and newfound skill had nothing to with his growing crush on him.

He tried to be strong and keep his feelings at bay, but he spent a few hours a week shirtless with an extremely handsome man who was kind, witty, and extremely dedicated.

Besides being enamored with his teacher, Alec did end up learning to get more comfortable in the water, to a point where now he was comfortable enough pulling his knees to his chest and floating in water six feet deep. It wasn’t groundbreaking, especially since Alec was still wary of being in the deepest part of the pool, but it was progress.

Magnus was already in the water when Alec walked into the pool area, swimming graceful laps back and forth in an effortless glide. Alec dropped his bag on the chair he always used, crossing his arms over his chest. He leaned on the lifeguard stand and watched Magnus, a hint of a smile on his face.

Two days ago, Magnus had texted him offering to coach Max, since Alec had updated Magnus about his brother’s growing frustration over not being able to perfect his butterfly stroke.

At that point Alec had confessed to Max that he wasn’t actually spending time with Lydia and was instead taking swimming lessons. He’d half-expected Max to snitch straight away, but Max had just given him a smile, patted his arm, and told him he was proud of him in a tone far too old for someone who still barely came up to Alec’s waist.

After another two laps, Magnus lifted his head up, brushing his hair back off of his face. He spotted Alec right away, and Alec felt his stomach flips at the instant smile that Magnus sent him.

Magnus swam over the to the edge of the pool where Alec was standing, crossing his arms on the concrete. Alec definitely didn’t notice how _delicious_ Magnus’ arms looked.

“Hi, handsome,” Magnus said softly, resting his chin on his forearms. “How was your day?”

“Good,” Alec answered, blushing at the compliment and pushing himself off of the lifeguard stand. He took his shirt off and sat on the edge of the pool next to Magnus, dipping his legs knee-deep in the water. “You?”

“Some mother asked me today if the chlorine from the pool had darkened her skin. She said she came home and her skin was darker after swimming in the pool.” Magnus said, biting his lip as not to laugh.

“She does know the sun would be responsible, right?” Alec laughed. Magnus just shrugged.

“Apparently not.” Magnus swam a little away from the edge, still watching Alec. “You coming in today? Or are you gonna spend all your time sitting there?”

Alec rolled his eyes at Magnus’ teasing. A mischievous smile crossed his features as Alec put his hand into the water and splashed Magnus.

Magnus swiped a hand over his face, and Alec laughed at his shocked expression.

“Okay, Lightwood, is that how you wanna play?”

Magnus lifted a hand and sprayed Alec with water, covering him head to toe. Alec pushed off the ledge and dropped into the pool in a swift motion, instantly splashing Magnus back as the pool slowly became a war zone. The crashing of the waves of water they’d created was drowned out by the sounds of laughter coming from both Alec and Magnus.

After a few minutes, Magnus had gotten a little closer to Alec and grabbed his hand before he could splash back.

“We both have a healthy dose of the competitive spirit, I see,” Magnus said, still holding on to Alec’s wrist.

Alec laughed, a glint in his eye. “Is this you admitting defeat?” he asked.

“Hardly,” Magnus replied. “However, I must warn you. You’ve been so distracted, you haven’t noticed that we’re in eight feet deep water.”

Alec’s eyebrows shot up as he glanced to the side of the pool, noticing the blocky letters that said ‘8 FT’. Alec’s legs almost stuttered under him from the shock of the situation, but Magnus just came a little closer and held on to Alec. He couldn’t believe that he just let go, and let his body naturally respond to the feeling of the deep water.

His legs swayed steadily under him as he met Magnus’ eyes. Magnus was suddenly very close, and Alec’s brain short circuited for a moment, only being to concentrate on the feeling of Magnus’ body just a whisper away from his own, and Magnus’ hand still clutching Alec’s wrist.

They both stayed afloat in the water, staring at each other. Alec’s gaze dropped to Magnus’ lips for a moment before he met Magnus’ gaze again.

“We should, uh,” Alec said, clearing his throat. “We should practice.”

That seemed to snap Magnus out of whatever daze he was in. The smile he sent Alec was just as bright as usual and he nodded, pulling away but not releasing Alec’s wrist.

“Yes, of course,” Magnus said. “Is it okay if I let go? Do you feel comfortable?”

Alec nodded, though reluctantly, as Magnus dropped his hand, and suddenly it was just Alec in the deep water, keeping himself afloat. It was still mind boggling, that after two weeks of training Alec not only trusted himself in the water, but he’d also learned to trust Magnus. He trusted Magnus to look after him, and that meant, well, _everything_.

Magnus guided them over to the five feet level anyway, gesturing for Alec to swim a little closer to him.

“I thought that today I could teach you the freestyle stroke. It’s fairly simple once you get the hang of it.” Magnus said in his teaching voice, which Alec had learned over the past few weeks was a little more stern than his regular talking voice, but just as soft and patient. “All you have to do is move your arms in circle motions and move your legs up and down.”

Magnus got closer to Alec, taking his hands and guiding them above Alec’s head. They were pressed almost chest to chest, and Alec was a little dizzy with how close they were. Magnus, however, looked entirely focused as he ran his hands up and down Alec’s arms slowly to show him the proper technique. Every touch ignited Alec’s skin, and Alec felt drawn to Magnus like a magnet.

After running through the motion a few more times, Magnus stepped away, and let Alec do it himself.

The lesson continued on, and after an hour and a half Alec had gotten the stroke down, more or less. He still ended up coughing up water a few times, but with Magnus’ expert guidance and his own stubborn determination, Alec managed to swim one lap length in a sloppy freestyle form.

As soon as they got out of the pool, Magnus grabbed his phone to check it and frowned.

“Everything okay?” Alec asked, running his beach towel through his hair.

“Ragnor was supposed to pick me up, but he has to take his dog to the vet,” Magnus sighed, typing something out on his phone before dropping it into his bag.

Magnus had told Alec about Ragnor, his childhood best friend, on their third lesson. Magnus mentioned that he was saving up to buy a car, so Ragnor had offered to drop him off and pick him up from the pool when Magnus worked. Alec hadn’t actually met Ragnor, but he had seen him through the car window once or twice when Magnus and him had parted ways for the day.

“Want a ride, then? I’m in no rush to get home tonight.” Alec offered, toweling off his torso as best as he could.

“Are you sure? I wouldn’t want you to go out of your way,” Magnus said, his eyebrows furrowing slightly as he dried himself off as well.

“Don’t worry about it,” Alec said, waving a hand at him. “Where do you live?”

“Dumbo,” Magnus said, giving him a specific address. Alec nodded, taking note of it in his head. “Thank you. I didn’t want to have to pay for an Uber or take a bus and then two trains.”

“I guess you’ll just owe me one, now,” Alec said, grinning at Magnus.

They both went to change in the small locker rooms, then Alec waited in the parking lot, typing a text to Lydia as Magnus finished closing up the pool. Magnus met Alec outside of the fence after a few minutes, fiddling with the chain and lock for a moment before turning to face Alec, smiling.

“Ready when you are,” he said, and Alec gestured for Magnus to follow him as they walked to Alec’s black car.

Alec got into the driver’s seat and tossed his bag into the back. Magnus sat in shotgun and looked around. Alec was momentarily happy that he cleaned his car two days ago from Max’s pile of potato chip bags.

As Alec pulled out of the parking lot, he noticed Magnus smile softly at the small wooden bat dangling from a string on the rearview mirror. Magnus leaned over and took it gently in his hand, glancing over at Alec.

“You play baseball?” Magnus asked. Alec gripped the steering wheel a little tighter, focusing on the road. He’d managed to make it this far without telling Magnus anything about his baseball career. It was still a rather sore topic for him.

“Uh, yeah,” Alec replied, trying to brush it off. A few moments of silence passed, and when Alec didn’t elaborate, Magnus finally understood.

“Oh,” Magnus breathed out. “I get it. I’m sorry for prying.”

Cursing Magnus’ ability to read him so early on in their friendship, Alec forced himself to loosen his grip, leaning back more and glancing at Magnus for a minute before looking back at the road.

“No, shit, I’m sorry,” Alec said, chewing on his lower lip. “I do, yeah. For a small community league. We only practice on the weekends. It’s not exactly my dream job.”

“You don’t enjoy it?” Magnus asked, leaning back a little on the door to face Alec as much as he could.

“I did, once upon a time.” Alec said, turning for a moment to look at Magnus when they were at a red light. He shrugged. “It’s hard to enjoy something just for fun when your parents turn it into something serious. It’s like I can’t just play baseball because I like it. Either I do it professionally or I don’t do it at all.”

“That’s a hard mentality to grow up with,” Magnus said softly.

“I guess,” Alec replied. “What about you? What do you do apart from lifeguarding?”

“Finishing up my graduate studies,” Magnus said, playing with some of his hair by his ear. “I’m studying to be a pediatrician. It’s not an easy path, and it’s certainly hard enough to maintain a part time job during the school year, so I lifeguard during the summer and save up as much as I can.”

“That’s - wow. That’s incredible,” Alec said genuinely, making a left turn.

“Thank you,” Magnus said, sitting up a little straighter when they turned on his block. “Just up ahead, right there.” he said, pointing to a brownstone house that was stacked with different plants, weaving down the stairs. Alec pulled up right in front of the house, turning to look at Magnus.

“See you in two days?” Alec said, tapping his thumbs against the steering wheel.

“Yeah, of course. Thank you again for driving me. It was very sweet of you,” Magnus said, opening his door. Alec just gave him a lopsided grin, nodding once.

“Anytime,” he replied.

“Oh, and Alec?” Alec turned to look at Magnus, noticing the teasing smirk on his lips. “I’d love to come to one of your games, if you’d like to have me there.”

Alec let out a breath, touched at the comment. “Yes, yeah. I would love that.”

“Wonderful.” Magnus winked at him, getting out of the car and resting his hands on the window sill. “Get home safe, Alexander.”

Alec sent him a small salute, one he instantly regretted, and watched Magnus walk around the car and up the stairs to his house. Magnus turned at his door, waving one last time to Alec, before making his way inside.

Desperately trying to ignore the flutter in his chest, Alec started the car again and drove off, leaning his forearm out the open window and feeling the summer breeze tickle his skin.

___________

A week later, Alec decided to be a little spontaneous. Magnus was sitting on the lifeguard stand, waiting for him, and once Alec came close enough, he rested his hands on one of the steps, looking up at Magnus.

“Hey, you’re fairly early,” Magnus said, leaning forward on his elbows.

“I have a proposition for you,” Alec said.

“Well, now I’m intrigued.”

“How about we take a break for the day?” Alec asked, trying not to think about the butterflies in his stomach. “Get out of here and do something different?”

Magnus tilted his head to the side, his eyes twinkling. “What did you have in mind?”

“The beach? Whenever I used to go I’d never go that deep into the water, and well. Now I guess I want to try putting all the swimming lessons to the test.”

Alec was almost nervous for a second. Anything outside of the community pool grounds was uncharted territory for them, besides that one time he’d driven Magnus home. Plus, Alec was getting good at the freestyle stroke, and he was confident he could swim out to the deeper sea level and swim back, especially with Magnus by his side.

The delight on Magnus’ face was enough to let Alec know that he’d sold Magnus on the idea.

Magnus climbed down from the lifeguard stand and grabbed his bag from the nearest chair, pushing his sunglasses over his eyes.

“Lead the way, Alexander,” Magnus said, beginning to walk with Alec towards his car. “Though I should warn you, the sea is quite different from the pool - the current there can pull you in. Not to worry, though. I guess I’ll just have to stay close to you.”

Magnus bumped his hip against Alec’s playfully, and Alec was sure the blush on his cheeks wasn’t as subtle as he’d hoped.

It took them about half an hour to reach Brighton Beach, sweet melodies of Fleetwood Mac drifting in the air between them during the car ride.

The beach was surprisingly empty when they arrived. Alec had come prepared with a large blanket and water for both of them. He was optimistic about Magnus saying yes to joining him on the beach, and was grateful he packed accordingly. Izzy consistently teased Alec about being the mom friend in their group of friends, and she wasn’t necessarily wrong.

Magnus plopped down on the oversized tie-dye blanket and turned his head to look at Alec.

“The sun is much harsher here. Did you remember to put on sunscreen?” Magnus asked. Alec shook his head, taking a seat next to Magnus. He rummaged through his bag and found the lotion. When he turned back around, Magnus was already laying back without a shirt on - a sight Alec would never get tired of.

“Could you do my back?” Alec asked, offering the sunscreen to Magnus.

Magnus sat up and plucked the bottle from Alec’s hand. “Absolutely, Alexander,” Magnus replied, as Alec peeled off his shirt.

Alec tried really hard not to think too much about how much this resembled a date. He’d even bought some fruit for them to munch on, for crying out loud. Everything was just so _easy_ with Magnus.

Not only was Magnus a great person, but he made Alec feel happy and at ease, and Alec latched on to that feeling and ran with it.

He tried to ignore how nice Magnus’ strong hands felt on his back. Magnus was applying the sunscreen achingly slow, mapping out every inch of skin. Alec sighed softly at the intimacy of it all.

“I think you’re good.” Magnus said, his voice a whisper away from Alec’s ear. Alec turned to look at him, their faces a lot closer than he’d anticipated.

“Now I just have to do the rest of my body,” Alec said with a smirk, reaching for the sunscreen as Magnus pulled it further away from him.

“Don’t worry about that, darling, I’ll take care of it.”

Alec laughed as Magnus moved to sit in front of him and started coating his arms in sunscreen, a look of sheer determination on his face that Alec could easily recognize despite Magnus’ big sunglasses blocking his eyes.

“Magnus, you know I can reach there, right?” Alec said, grinning wildly.

“One can never be too sure, Alexander. We wouldn’t want you to get burnt,” Magnus tutted, and Alec was positive that if his sunglasses weren’t there, he would have winked at Alec.

They splayed out on the blankets for a half hour, both of them absorbing the sunscreen they eventually finish applying. Magnus was right about the current, and when Alec’s feet step into the icy water, he could immediately feel the push and pull of the waves.

They swam for about half an hour. The water never got to a comfortable temperature in New York - it was always just a little bit too cold, so Alec and Magnus both ended up shivering fairly quickly. Alec had never experienced a fun beach day in the ocean before, and the salt water was definitely different from the pool. But it was new and something he hadn’t experienced before, and Magnus was right there beside him.

In all honesty, Alec wouldn’t have wanted to experience this with anyone else.

Alec dug in his bag and passed Magnus the container of grapes after they both laid down on the blanket, still wet from their swim. Magnus opened the box and passed it back to Alec, and the two of them relaxed, eating the fruit.

“So, Alec Lightwood,” Magnus said out of the blue. Alec hummed, letting him know he heard him. “If not baseball, then what is it you want to do?”

Alec contemplated the question for a moment. It’d been awhile since anyone had asked him that. His siblings told him to follow his dreams, but they’d never really wondered what those dreams were.

“I want to go back to college. I got an associates degree and left, because my parents thought making it big in baseball was more important,” Alec replied, his fingers playing with the fabric on the blanket.

“What would you study?”

“History, probably. Maybe minor in English. I -” Alec hesitated, “I think I’d want to teach. Be a professor somewhere. When I was in college, I had one professor who made a really big impact on my life. He’s the one who showed me that it’s not okay to submit yourself to being miserable for the rest of your life.”

Magnus hummed in understanding next to him. “I think you’d make a really great teacher, Alec.”

“What about you? Where do you see yourself in ten years?” Alec asked.

“Living in a nice house in Mill Basin, with two kids and a dog. Hopefully with someone, preferably married, but that’s a minor detail. Working every day but still being happy. That doesn’t sound too cliche, does it?”

“No, no,” Alec reassured when he heard the hesitation in Magnus’ voice. “That actually sounds really nice. I hope you have that some day. You deserve it.”

“Thank you,” Magnus said, and Alec could hear the fondness in his voice. “I wish you nothing but happiness too, Alec. You’re dedicated, passionate, and loyal, and those are valuable qualities in a person. You deserve the world.”

Alec let the warmth spread through his body at Magnus’ words. He closed his eyes, the sun setting in the sky across from them. He moved his hand and found Magnus’ easily, intertwining their fingers together in gratitude. Magnus had a way with words that made Alec’s heart swell. Magnus squeezed his hand in response, and Alec smiled to himself.

This unspoken _thing_ between them, whatever it was, it was good and pure, and Alec would hold onto it for as long as he could.

___________

The next time Alec and Magnus met up, they spent most of the lesson just relaxing. Magnus let Alec get comfortable processing all he’d learned, and they swam circles around each other in the pool lazily. They chatted about their favorite movies and books, and Magnus laughed so hard at one of Alec’s movie critiques he almost lost his footing in the shallow water.

Alec would do anything to keep Magnus that happy.

Eventually they swam out to the deep end, and Alec kept himself afloat with ease.

“You seriously think you can hold your breath longer underwater than me? Alexander, please. I’m captain of my college swim team. Choose your battles wisely,” Magnus said, looking far too cocky for Alec’s taste.

“I’ve always had a gift for that, even if I couldn’t swim. Let’s go, you and me,” Alec challenged, a competitive glint in his eyes.

“Alright, fine. But when you lose you aren’t allowed to blame me,” Magnus responded, and Alec held his hands up innocently.

They swam to the edge of the pool so Alec had support in case something did go wrong, and they counted off, both sinking their heads underwater.

Alec lasted a total of one minute, and when he lifted his head above the water, pushing his hair out of his head, he noticed Magnus still holding his breath. He grumbled his himself, leaning on the wall and waiting for Magnus to come up for air.

After another minute, Magnus came up, gasping for air and smirking at Alec. He swept a hand through his hair and grinned, cocking his head to the side.

“Aw, come on Lightwood, don’t pout at me,” Magnus said smugly. Alec only pouted more at his comment, making Magnus laugh. “I did warn you.”

“You definitely cheated,” Alec said, shaking his head. He knew he had clearly lost, but the banter between them was fun, and Alec Lightwood didn’t admit defeat easily.

“You saw me go underwater at the same time as you! I couldn’t have possibly cheated,” Magnus said, holding a hand to his heart and his other hand held on to the edge of the pool.

“Cheater,” Alec muttered under his breath, laughing loudly as Magnus glared at him.

“You’re impossible,” Magnus responded, “I honestly don’t know why I like you.”

Alec blinked at him, his stomach flipping as he processed the words. “You like me?” he asked, feeling elated.

Magnus rolled his eyes rather impressively. “Of course I like you,” he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

He swam closer to Alec, resting his other hand on the pool edge on either side of Alec’s body. Alec couldn’t tear his eyes away from Magnus’ face, his heart skipping a beat. He wanted to reach out and touch Magnus, but he felt frozen with anticipation. Alec didn’t exactly know what Magnus was about to do, but his mind was on a consistent loop of _kiss me kiss me kiss me_.

Magnus leaned forward and tentatively rested his forehead against Alec’s, closing his eyes.

“I know you feel what I feel, Alec,” Magnus said softly, and Alec felt himself fall, so deep and so fast for the man in front of him.

“I do,” Alec managed to get out, before cupping Magnus’ face with his hand and pressing their lips together.

Magnus responded instantly, deepening the kiss, and Alec curled his other hand around Magnus’ hip. He felt the excitement in his veins as he was finally able to touch the man he’d been staring at for weeks now, and Alec pulled Magnus flush against him, humming contently into the kiss.

They kissed for what seemed like hours, Alec’s hands on Magnus’ skin and Magnus’ hands gripping the edge of the pool like a lifeline. Magnus pulled away first, and Alec chased his lips, pouting softly when Magnus chuckled.

“Later,” he said, sealing the promise with a soft peck to Alec’s lips.

Suddenly, Magnus started swimming away, leaving Alec alone on the wall.

“Rematch?” Magnus said, smiling mischievously at Alec. Alec grinned, pushing off the wall and swimming towards Magnus, who had retreated to more shallow water.

“Definitely.”

Counting down again, they both went underwater, and Magnus was so much closer than before. He felt Magnus’ hands cup his face and a pair of lips on his. Alec instantly lost his concentration and went up for air, but this time Magnus followed, his mouth still on Alec’s.

They both stood in the five foot water, and Alec brought Magnus closer, kissing him properly. His hands latched on to Magnus’ hips again as he pressed in as close as possible. When they were both standing, Alec had to bend down just a little to kiss Magnus deeply, and that information _did_ things to Alec.

Kissing like this was intoxicating. They were both out of breath from being underwater, but there was a need to continue kissing to resolve this sexual tension that’d been building. Magnus kissed him tenderly and deeply, making Alec’s knees weak.

Alec moved his mouth to Magnus’ jaw, pressing a trail of kisses up towards his ear.

“Darling,” Magnus said, breathily. “Maybe we should slow down.”

Pressing one last kiss just behind Magnus’ ear, Alec sighed. He twined his arms around Magnus’ torso, holding him close and leaning his head on Magnus’ shoulder. Magnus gently carded his fingers through Alec’s wet hair, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

“You hungry?” he asked out of the blue.

Alec laughed. “What?”

“Are you hungry? There’s this lovely seafood place a few blocks down. We can go and grab some dinner,” Magnus replied.

Alec stood up straight, meeting Magnus’ gaze and raising an eyebrow. He was about to respond when Magnus spoke again.

“I just don’t want to say goodnight to you yet,” Magnus said, a small frown on his lips. Alec smiled tenderly, kissing the pout away.

“You didn’t let me answer. I was going to say that I’d love to, Magnus,” Alec said easily. Magnus’ arms slipped down Alec’s and he intertwined their fingers, jerking his head to the side and smiling brightly.

“Let’s go then.”

___________

Alec was absolutely _freaking out_.

Their dinner had gone great, with Magnus insisting to pay at the end of the meal. Alec had almost fought him for the check, but Magnus reached over the table and squeezed his hand, promising that Alec would get to pay next time.

Alec had gone to sleep that night thinking of all the different dates he could take Magnus on, to treat him like the wonderful guy he was.

The next time he’d seen Magnus for his lesson, Alec was nervous and out of his element, feeling like a fifteen year old boy with a huge crush who couldn’t get their first date out of his mind. Magnus had just smiled at him and extended his hand, tilting his head to the side.

“Well, aren’t you going to kiss me hello?”

Magnus calmed all of Alec’s nerves with one sentence. Walking up to him and planting a soft kiss to his lips was the easiest thing in the world.

The lesson after that had been a bust. It had started pouring as soon as Alec parked his car in the pool parking lot, but he refused to go home when Magnus texted him. Instead, he drove to a small juice shop a few blocks down to get them smoothies, and then they spent the evening sitting on the wide lifeguard stand under an obnoxiously big umbrella, sipping their smoothies and exchanging long kisses.

Today, though, Max had insisted that they visit Magnus during his shift.

Max hadn’t shut up about Magnus since the first day Magnus had started training him, and while it meant the world to Alec that his brother and the guy he had a thing with could get along so well, the two of them being in the same vicinity made him a little uncertain. He didn’t want Max to latch onto Magnus in case everything between Alec and Magnus went up in flames, but Alec was already in so deep he didn’t even want to think about that happening.

That was part of the problem, too - Alec had fallen hard, but he and Magnus hadn’t even put a label on whatever was between them yet. He didn’t want to come across too eager and scare Magnus away, and meeting Alec’s family was probably going to give that exact impression.

Max was bad enough, but then Izzy had decided to come along, claiming she hadn’t been swimming since the summer began, and, well, Alec was totally fucked.

It was a cloudy weekday, and the lack of cars in the parking lot instantly let Alec know that the pool was fairly empty.

As they made their way past the familiar white fence, Alec caught sight of Magnus sitting on the lifeguard stand, and he couldn’t help the way his stomach flipped happily.

“Magnus!” Max shouted, waving excitedly.

Magnus looked away from the pool to the siblings, a smile spreading across his face.

“Hey!” Magnus called, waving back. “How’s my favourite Lightwood?”

He shot Alec a teasing glance as he said it, smiling. The three of them stopped in front of the lifeguard stand as Magnus hopped down from it.

“Hey,” Alec greeted, chewing on his lower lip to hide the smile that always threatened to come out whenever he was in Magnus’ vicinity. “Uh, Magnus, this is Izzy, my sister.”

“It’s lovely to meet you,” he said. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“You too! Thank you again for coaching Max,” Izzy said, ruffling Max’s hair and laughing when he squirmed away.

“C’mon guys, I see some empty chairs over there,” Max grabbed Izzy’s hand and tugged her towards the chairs.

Alec followed his siblings, watching for a moment as Magnus sat back on his lifeguard stand. Alec wanted to pull him away and get a moment alone with him, but Magnus was still technically at work.

As soon as they’d dropped their stuff on the chairs, Max took his shirt and shoes off and ran off. Alec heard him whoop loudly as he cannonballed into the pool, causing Izzy to laugh next to him.

They laid down on their pool chairs in their swimming attire, Izzy lying back and resting while Alec tried his best to read his book.

“So, when were you gonna tell me that you’re dating Max’s swimming coach?” she asked nonchalantly after a few minutes.

Alec choked on his spit, dropping his book on his chest.

“Jesus, Izzy, he’s not - we’re not _dating_ ,” Alec said, turning to look at her and picking up his book. He placed the bookmark in carefully and set it aside.

Izzy lowered her sunglasses, looking unimpressed.

“You sure about that? Because you were both sending each other some major heart eyes when we arrived.”

“Yes, I’m sure. He’s just -” Alec huffed. “Okay, fine. He’s been teaching me to swim, that’s all.”

“That’s all?” Izzy pressed.

“ _Yes_ ,” Alec insisted, before backtracking. “No? I don’t know. We - I like him, Iz. We just haven’t, you know, talked about it.”

Izzy pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head, looking Alec up and down. After a moment, she sighed.

“How long has this been going on?”

“Since the first time I took Max to the pool,” Alec replied, looking sheepish. Izzy just laughed softly.

“I knew you looked happier, and that you weren’t actually spending all this time with Lydia,” Izzy said, sitting up and bending her knees, wrapping her arms around them. “I’m happy for you, big brother. Plus, he’s gorgeous.”

Alec flushed, shrugging a shoulder. He looked up and saw Magnus talking to an adult, and he took a moment to appreciate the view. The same bright vibrant red of the lifeguard swimming trunks was a color that Alec couldn’t stand, but he was learning to appreciate.

“Yeah, he is.”

“Alright, alright, come on. Let’s go swim,” Izzy said, getting up and offering her hand to Alec.

Together they walked into the pool. Max stopped swimming for a moment to watch them, and both he and Izzy looked impressed at Alec’s lack of fear. This was all familiar to Alec now. The way the water hugged his body; the way it held him up as he floated. Not to mention, the pool area itself was one Alec had spent a lot of time in.

Max watched Alec with a careful eye before continuing to swim laps, his form much more polished than it had been weeks before.

Alec dipped his head under the water to get his hair wet and then looked at Izzy, who was leaning against the side of the pool, her gold sequin bikini a stark contrast to the water’s shade of blue.

“I’m surprised you learned anything at all. Magnus seems incredibly distracting,” Izzy teased. Alec splashed her playfully, laughing when she splashed him back after a moment of surprise.

They stayed in the pool for half an hour, and Max eventually swam over to them, content but exhausted. Making their way back to the chairs, Alec noticed that Magnus had changed into summer attire, and he was standing next to the staff room door talking to the same red headed girl that Alec saw the first day. What was her name again - Cara or something?

Alec picked up his green towel once they got back to their chairs, his eyes not leaving Magnus as Izzy nudged him hard in the ribs.

“Alec, who is _that_?” Izzy asked as Alec ran his towel through his hair. He followed Izzy’s gaze and found it locked on the lifeguard talking to Magnus.

“Probably the lifeguard on the next shift,” Alec said, smirking. “Why?”

Izzy flipped her wet hair behind her shoulder, giving Alec a look.

“Why don’t you introduce your favorite and only sister, hm? I swear, it’s like they have a policy to hire only beautiful people as lifeguards.”

Alec laughed, turning to Max who was splayed out on a chair, goggles on the top of his head, playing on his Nintendo DS.

“Max, we’ll be right back,” Alec said. Max didn’t take his eyes off the screen, making a soft sound of acknowledgement.

Alec started walking towards the two lifeguards, Izzy right behind him. Magnus noticed when Alec was just a few feet away, smiling at him.

“Hello, Lightwoods,” Magnus said, his eyes shifting over from Izzy to Alec.

“Magnus, who’s your friend?” Izzy asked, feigning innocence.

“Clary,” the girl responded, sticking out her hand for Izzy to shake. Izzy’s smile was dazzling.

“Izzy,” she said, taking Clary’s hand. “And this is my brother -”

“Alec. I’ve heard a lot about you,” Clary said, letting go of Izzy’s hand and gently nudging Magnus. Magnus didn’t falter, instead he looked pleased, his eyes not leaving Alec’s.

“Yeah,” Alec replied, shooting her a small wave. “You’re the other lifeguard that works here, right?”

“Yep! It’s me, Magnus, and Dot.” Clary responded. “Speaking of which, I should probably start my shift. It was great to meet you guys.”

Alec swore her eyes lingering on his sister before she made her way over to the lifeguard stand, slinging her whistle around her neck in case she’d need to use it.

“So,” Izzy said, causing Alec to look at her. She was looking right at Magnus however, smiling brightly at him. “Did Alec tell you about his upcoming game on Saturday?”

“I don’t think so,” Magnus said, raising an eyebrow and looking at Alec.

“I just got the schedule for the season yesterday,” Alec explained, glaring at Izzy. “I was going to tell you the next time I saw you.”

“Do you wanna come?” Izzy asked Magnus, almost cutting Alec off.

Alec’s eyes widened a little. She shrugged in response.

“What? I’ve heard so much about Magnus - I wanna spend some time in person with him.” Izzy clapped her hands together, turning her attention to Magnus. “It’ll be so fun. I can drive you from your house and back. Plus Max will be there and my friend Meliorn works the snack bar, so I could totally hook us up with free food.”

“You do make a convincing argument,” Magnus laughed softly, his eyes shifting over to Alec. “I’d love to come, but only if it’s okay with your brother.”

“Of course it’s okay,” Alec responded instantly. A part of him wanted to reach out for Magnus, but he refrained due to his sister’s presence.

“Alright, cool! I’ll get your number from Alec and we can talk details, sound good?” Izzy said. Magnus nodded in response. “Come on, let’s go get Max.”

Izzy walked away and Magnus lifted his fingers and wiggled them, as if saying goodbye. Alec shot Magnus a small smile.

The sunlight gave Magnus an almost angelic glow, and the smile on his lips was equally warm and private - as if it was just meant for Alec. The view made Alec’s heart sing.

Alec walked backwards for a few steps, waving to Magnus before turning around and catching up to his siblings. Izzy grabbed her bag and got ready to leave, bickering playfully with Max until he was ready to go as well. Alec shrugged his shirt on and grabbed his belongings as Izzy stared intently at her phone, typing away.

Right as they were about to walk away from their chairs, Izzy stopped and dug into her bag, pulling out a few dollar bills.

“Max, go buy yourself some ice cream, okay? I’ll meet you by the ice cream truck in two minutes,” Izzy said, handing her younger brother the money. Max nodded enthusiastically, jogging away to the truck stopped in front of the white fence.

Izzy turned to Alec, grabbing his hand and placing the car keys in them.

“I just texted Maia. She’ll be here in a few minutes to pick me and Max up. She said we can sleep over her place tonight,” Izzy said, looking far too pleased with herself.

Alec nodded slowly.

“Uh, okay,” he replied, not really sure where she was going with this. The proud smile fell off of her face immediately.

“What I’m _saying_ ,” Izzy said, a touch exasperated, “is that since Mom and Dad are away until tomorrow night for a business retreat, and since Max and I will be sleeping over at Maia’s, the house will be empty.” Izzy paused and lifted her eyebrows. “For you and Magnus.”

“Wait, are you trying to sexile yourself?” Alec asked, baffled.

“Yes, for the sake of your love life.” Izzy said, crossing her arms over her chest, a small smile on her lips. “You deserve to do something for yourself and hang out with the guy you like, Alec.”

Alec looked down at the car keys in his hand. He closed his fingers around them and looked up at Izzy, gratitude in his eyes.

“Thanks, Iz,” he said. Izzy winked at him, hearing a ding coming from her cell phone. She pulled it out and smiled at the screen, looking back up at Alec.

“Maia’s here, so I gotta go. Have fun, big brother!” Izzy said, leaning up to kiss his cheek before jogging away towards the exit.

Alec took a deep breath, squared his shoulders and walked towards the staff room, where the door was just barely open. He knew the small staff room facility didn’t have much ventilation, so they kept the door open during shifts to get some air in.

When he opened the door, he instantly spotted Magnus at his locker, swinging his maroon backpack over his shoulder and slamming the long gray door shut. Alec’s pulse quickened when he remembered exactly what they’d done in this room just a few days ago - when Alec tried to climb into Magnus’ lap to deepen their kisses and accidentally knocked them both off of the tiny staff room bench.

Magnus ended up laughing and kissing away the apology off of Alec’s lips, but the fact remained that the both of them hadn’t had a lot of private alone time.

“Hey, you,” Magnus said, leaning against the lockers with his arms crossed over his chest, a smile on his face.

“Hey,” Alec replied, standing awkwardly in the doorway, his hands clasped behind his back. He took a few steps and walked over to Magnus, intertwining their fingers and leaning down a little to give Magnus a soft kiss.

“Are you busy?” Alec asked after they pulled apart, his face still close to Magnus’. Magnus looked thoughtful for a moment, as if genuinely running through his schedule in his head.

“Not that I’m aware of. Why?”

“We should do something. My place is free if you wanna come over - we could order take out?” Alec shrugged, trying to act nonchalant.

“That sounds nice,” Magnus replied, his gaze flicking down to Alec’s lips. “Maybe we can put on a movie and pretend to watch it?”

Alec licked his lips absentmindedly, watching Magnus’ eyes follow the movement.

“Yeah,” Alec breathed out. “We should definitely do that.”

Magnus pulled away and eagerly tugged Alec towards the door, a suggestive smile on his lips.

___________

“Batter up!”

The cheers from the crowd were exhilarating, and Alec felt the familiar adrenaline rush as he threw the ball from his right hand into his mitt, getting ready to pitch. It was a beautiful summer day, the sun beating down on the back of Alec’s neck and warming him all over.

Despite all of his history with baseball and his parent’s attitude towards the sport, Alec really did love to play. Plus, he was _good_ at it. Alec felt the excitement of a little kid when he hit a home run or when he would strike out a player.

Alec stepped on the sand, getting into position to throw the first pitch. By far, pitching had always been his favorite. He loved judging the batter and playing a mental game with them. He could see when the batter would focus in on Alec, and Alec would look like he was aiming low and then threw a curveball. The look of surprise on the batter’s face after a clean strike out reminded Alec why he loved the competitive sport.

He stood up a little straighter, taking off his hat and repositioning it on his head. Being on the field made him feel confident - especially now that he had someone he wanted to impress.

Magnus had come today, and Alec could see him just to the left of the batting area, sitting next to Izzy and Max. Alec hadn’t gotten a chance to say hi before the game, but the fact that Magnus came at all meant everything.

The events of the night they spent together were etched into Alec’s mind. Waking up in the morning next to Magnus and being able to give him breakfast in bed while exchanging lazy slow kisses was something Alec could see himself doing for a long time.

The first batter looked way too cocky as he stepped up the plate, twirling the baseball bat in his hand. Alec had been the first pitcher in every game since his coach figured out he could throw a solid fastball.

Alec smirked, getting into the zone.

After striking out the first batter and sending him a smug grin, the rest of the game passed by pretty quickly. Alec’s team, The Angels, won in a landslide.

The team cheered when the final inning ended, and after a moment of celebration, the people who came to support the local baseball team started to clear out.

Alec just finished politely talking to two of his team members when he felt two arms wrap tightly around him.

“Hey Iz,” Alec said, laughing softly. Izzy congratulated Alec after every single game, acting like every home run he hit was his first. It was endearing, and Alec loved her for it.

Turning around, he spotted Izzy, Max, and Magnus. Izzy gave him a proper hug, talking his ear off about how on point he was and how number thirty on the other team played too dirty for her liking.

“Oh, there's Elias! I haven't seen him since his shoulder injury. Come on Max, let’s go say hi,” Izzy said, tugging Max along.

Alec gave Magnus his total attention, smiling at him. Magnus opened his arms and stepped forward, initiating a hug.

“Magnus, I'm sweaty,” Alec protested weakly, despite his body betraying him and stepping closer to Magnus anyway. Magnus rolled his eyes impressively.

“Come here, number twelve, and let me hug you.” Magnus wrapped his arms around Alec, hugging him tightly. Alec melted into the familiar touch.

“Thank you for coming,” Alec said when they pulled away.

“It was my pleasure. I don't know much about baseball, but you were amazing. Your siblings are also very proud of you,” Magnus replied, smiling.

“Thanks,” Alec said, grinning. “Yeah, I know. I'm very lucky that all of you came out here to support me.”

Magnus’ cheeks turned a soft shade of pink at the comment, gesturing to the bats leaning on the fence a few steps away from them.

“I didn't realize how much skill actually goes into hitting a ball with a bat,” Magnus said. Alec raised an eyebrow.

“Here,” he said, going over to the bats and picking one up. “Let me show you the movement.”

Magnus laughed, taking the bat from Alec and inspecting it.

“Okay, hotshot. Show me, then.” Magnus gripped the bat, positioning it where he thought it went.

Alec stepped in close, pressing up against Magnus’ back. He realized rather suddenly that he didn't care about who was watching. In that moment, it was just him and Magnus. The flirting was so much fun that Alec actually felt giddy.

He slid his hands down Magnus’ arms and helped Magnus properly hold the bat. Alec leaned in a little closer so that there was barely a whisper of space between them, his breath ghosting over the shell of Magnus’ ear.

“You want to swing it back, like this,” Alec covered Magnus’ hands with his own, guiding them over Magnus’ shoulder. Alec could feel the strong muscles of Magnus’ back through his shirt, and his heart thumped loudly in his chest.

“Then,” Alec continued, “the ball comes racing at you, and when you see it right in front of you, in the perfect spot, you -” Alec swung the bat, feeling Magnus’ muscles shift under him.

“What does that look like, Alexander? A home run?” Magnus said, turning a little so Alec could see the small smile on his face.

“Yeah,” Alec managed to breathe out, moving back so Magnus could look at him properly. Magnus turned fully, still mostly in Alec’s arms, and opened his mouth to speak when -

“Lightwood!”

Alec pulled away fully, sending Magnus an apologetic look. Magnus just winked at Alec as Raj ran up. He was still wearing his jersey, his hat on backwards. Raj and Alec had been inseparable on the field for years now. Alec could easily consider Raj one of his best friends.

“Hey, Raj,” Alec said as Raj reached the two, patting Alec’s arm. “The home run you scored today was incredible.”

“I try,” Raj said, crossing his arms over his chest with a smug grin. He glanced over at Magnus, raising an eyebrow before looking back at Alec.

“Oh!” Alec gestured to Raj, looking at Magnus. “Magnus, this is Raj, a good friend of mine on the team. Raj, this is my - um.” Alec floundered for a moment, a little lost for how to describe what Magnus meant to him. He settled on saying, “Magnus.”

Magnus looked amused, raising his eyebrows with a little smile on his face.

“Your Magnus, huh?” he asked.

Alec blushed a deep red, spluttering out a couple of attempts at a sentence. Raj just shook his head fondly, laughing.

“It’s nice to meet you, Magnus,” he said kindly.

“You too,” Magnus replied, as Izzy and Max approached.

“We’re going to Jade Wolf tonight to celebrate - Raj, you in?” Izzy asked as Max and Raj started a very serious thumb war.

“Hell yeah,” Raj responded, still focused on the thumb war, “but I need to shower.”

“Yeah, me too,” Alec added.

“We’ll meet you by the field entrance in like 15 minutes.”

“Awesome,” Izzy said. “What about you, Magnus. Are you coming?”

Izzy shot Alec a look, and Alec looked over at Magnus with a smile.

“Yeah, I’d love to,” Magnus said, his smile matching Alec’s.

Later, when all of them were tucked into a small booth at Jade Wolf, Alec would slip his hand into Magnus’ under the table, and the squeeze he would get in return made the night that much warmer.

___________

Alec was a bundle of nerves, rubbing his sweaty palms over the front of his pants every two seconds.

Summer had ended far too quickly for his liking, especially now that he could properly enjoy the beach and the pool. Jace had flown back home a few days ago, so Alec had been busy all week, and hadn’t had a chance to properly talk to Magnus.

And, well, if Alec was being honest, he kind of missed him.

So instead of calling Magnus up, Alec had asked Clary, who his sister had gotten _very_ close to recently, about Magnus’ last shift as a lifeguard. Clary had told him when Magnus was on duty, and that’s how Alec found himself in the all too familiar parking lot, getting to surprise the him. It was closing time, and the snow cone stand was parked outside of the swimming pool entrance, getting ready to leave.

Alec got out of the car and shoved his hands in his pockets, walking past the white fence and into the empty swimming pool area. There were rolled down shutters on the building fronts where Alec remembered the locker rooms and the small poolside store were located.

Magnus was closing up the staff room, putting the big metal lock on the shutter. Alec stood near the lifeguard stand, idly swaying from foot to foot. When Magnus turned around, he noticed Alec immediately, jumping a little bit.

He was still wearing those stupid fucking red swim shorts, Alec noted, and he still looked so _good_.

“Hey,” Alec said.

“Hey yourself,” Magnus replied, walking towards Alec with his arms crossed over his chest, a small smile on his lips.

Magnus’ shirt was unbuttoned towards the top, revealing smooth tan skin that Alec had to tear his eyes away from to meet Magnus’ dark brown eyes. He opened his mouth for a moment to speak, wondering how to voice all his insecurities to Magnus.

_Are we just a summer thing?_

_Where do we go from here?_

_Were we ever a thing?_

_This was the best summer of my life, and I think that’s all because of you._

Instead, Alec shut his mouth, looking at his feet and chewing on his lower lip. He could feel Magnus’ pensive gaze on him.

“Stop thinking so hard,” Magnus said, like it was the easiest thing in the world.

Alec shot his head up, frowning.

“I’m not,” he countered weakly. Magnus just rolled his eyes fondly, pushing his dark hair out of his eyes.

“Yes, you are. What are you thinking about?” Magnus asked, taking a few steps towards Alec.

“Nothing,” Alec said, clearing his throat. He shrugged a shoulder, his gaze drifting to the still full pool. “They leave it like that all winter?”

“No,” Magnus laughed. “Someone comes to clean it up tomorrow.”

“Oh,” Alec said, looking back at Magnus. “When does your college semester start?”

“In a week, and I move back into the dorms in two days, ” Magnus replied, tilting his head to the side, and taking a few more steps, so that they were arms length apart. “I would really love if you came to visit me at college, Alexander.”

“Yeah?” Alec breathed out, unable to help the smile that formed on his lips. Relief flooded his body, and he was once again shocked at how Magnus managed to ease all of his doubts with a few simple words.

“What, and miss an opportunity to show you off? I’m not crazy enough to pass that up.” Magnus reached out his hand, taking Alec’s, and Alec responded by intertwining their fingers easily.

“I would love to meet your friends,” Alec said, swinging their joined hands between them.

“So,” Magnus started, taking a smaller step closer to Alec again. “What should I call you when I introduce you to my friends, hm? My Alexander?”

Alec huffed out a small chuckle, shaking his head fondly. He felt unbelievable smitten with the man in front of him, his heart threatening to beat out of his chest.

“Or maybe we could try being boyfriends?” Alec said, though it sounded more like a question. Magnus beamed at him, his smile radiant and bright.

“That sounds wonderful.”

**Author's Note:**

> find me on tumblr [@magnusragnor](http://magnusragnor) !!


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